


One of Those

by CosmoKid



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Asexual Jughead Jones, Canon Compliant, Multi, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-08
Updated: 2017-04-08
Packaged: 2018-10-16 04:35:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10563831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CosmoKid/pseuds/CosmoKid
Summary: In which Kevin and Joaquin are soulmates, but neither want to admit it.





	

**Author's Note:**

> i suck at summaries

_Not so tough without your beard, huh?_

Kevin’s soulmark had always confused him. Especially when he was younger; he used to fantasize about having a secret admirer and how she’d finally confront him when he shaved and they’d immediately kiss and hug and exchange life stories and other childish fairytales. Granted the shaving thing could be plausible, but he’d realized that the _she_ part of it was impossible when he was eleven and realized that he was definitely into dudes. He was still really confused about the beard part though. 

It made more sense as he explored being gay, aka combing the internet for knowledge. It was slightly saddening when he found out what a beard meant, he couldn’t ever see himself being so ashamed or scared of his sexuality that he’d hide behind a fake girlfriend. That was ridiculous.

So he vowed not to, he came out to his Dad the same night and came out to his school, slightly accidentally, a few weeks later. He made sure everyone was well aware of him being very gay, playing into the cliché a little too well.

By the time high school rolled around, he’d completely forgotten about his soulmark, life had gotten in the way. His Mom had left and his best friend was in love with her other best friend even though they didn’t have matching soulmarks and it was all a little too dramatic. He focussed on helping Betty win Archie over despite knowing that they weren’t destined to be. It was easier to focus on a more trivial issue than it was to focus on the overwhelming pain he felt every time he thought of his Mom.

He loved Betty and he trusted her, but he didn’t want sympathy about it so he just didn’t speak of it. Betty had enough issues of her own with her parents wanting to be the perfect cereal packet family and whatever Polly and Jason had going on. And she wasn't in the same position as him, no one was apart from Jughead and they weren't exactly close, more friendly acquaintances. 

And then it all went to hell when Jason drowned and Veronica Lodge rolled into town. 

He spent the entire summer trying to distract Betty from the mysterious disappearance of her sister by trying to help her win over Archie Andrews just for some raven-haired girl to swoop in and ruin his endgame plans.

He supposed they weren’t really endgame, most children didn’t start a conversation with another child by asking them how the onions were wherever they were. They were doomed from the start, but he was a sucker for star-crossed lovers.

Of course, Veronica Lodge asking that exact thing the first time she met Betty Cooper had thrown a spanner in the works. 

His expectation was to spend the next few days helping his friend come to terms with the fact that she was at least a little gay, but then the whole Veronica and Archie thing happened which Kevin was still trying to understand presently and both of the girls seemed pointed to ignore the sexual tension and the fact that they were soulmates. 

Straight people were weird. 

Even if they weren’t straight, they were both pretending they were so he felt justified in saying it.

And then Veronica kissed Betty during cheer tryouts and Betty had a minor breakdown before deciding she definitely had a crush on Archie still which was a little frustrating, to say the least. And then Cheryl Blossom happened and Kevin decided that he was leaving his best friend to deal with her love life for a while.

He needed a break which is why he decided to hook up with Moose, who was definitely not his soulmate, thank god. He doubted Moose even knew what a beard was.

But then they’d found a dead body. Jason Blossom’s body, to be specific.

It was probably bad that he’d almost been disappointed when he found the body, he just really needed a break and not to find a dead body. But he didn’t suggest they ignore the body and go fuck somewhere else like he might have done if he was a little more intoxicated.

And somehow all hell went to more hell as Archie and Betty fell out and Betty and Veronica fell out and then everyone was friends again and Kevin decided that he needed to stop hanging around people who ignored their soulmates in order to be ‘straight’.

(Everyone knew that Archie Andrews and Jughead Jones were soulmates apart from Archie. Even Jughead had figured it out despite being very very ace.)

For a hot minute there, Betty and Cheryl Blossom were apparently friends which somehow translated into Veronica and Cheryl becoming friends and Kevin was a hundred percent done with drama.

For the first time since he was thirteen, he wished to have already met his soulmate. He just wanted someone he could talk to about everything and a small part of him still believed that soulmates couldn’t lie to each other.

He didn’t know if it was true or not, but he definitely knew they could lie to themselves about their soulmates. Exhibit A, Betty Cooper; exhibit B, Veronica Lodge and exhibit C, Archie Andrews.

And then Cheryl got arrested, sort of. And Veronica was slut-shamed and suddenly they were secret spies on the slut-shaming in the school and then Betty nearly killed a jock and everything was just crashing at the same time. 

Then the whole Grundy thing began and suddenly Veronica’s Mom was working with the Southside Serpents and everything got worse.

It felt like everyone and everything around him was shattering, but he wasn’t. He felt like he was encompassed in a glass box protecting him from the storm, but forced to watch his friends struggle without being able to help. And it was horrible.

He couldn’t possibly help Veronica with her Dad being in prison and her Mom being involved with gangbangers. He couldn’t do anything about Betty’s controlling Mom and he couldn’t miraculously find Polly and bring her home. He couldn’t bring Jughead’s sister and Mom back either. And he had no idea what to do with the Archie situation. 

So he thought that maybe it would be a nice distraction to go and watch a movie at the drive in and he could talk about the newest fashion shows with Veronica if the movie was boring.

And then Cheryl Blossom joined them with her manic depressive act which he still didn’t know if it was actually an act or not. With the Southside Serpents in the background as well, the night had gone from fun movie time to being worse than dinner with his very distant and very straight relatives. Uncle George just couldn’t take the hint that Kevin wouldn’t have a girlfriend anytime soon because he was very gay.

Apparently, Veronica Lodge had no self-preservation because she decided that the best way to deal with noisy criminals was to _threaten_ them. She _threatened criminals_ because that’s always the best plan of action.

He was almost glad to be forced to get a refill. Granted, that was before he knew he was going to be confronted by a gang member, a very cute gang member who just happened to start with “Not so tough without your beard, huh?”

It was unbelievably cliché, but his heart stopped. He nearly dropped the popcorn and he just froze. Fuck. He really wasn’t planning on hearing those specific words in that specific order anytime soon.

So in his panic, he blurted out the first thing he could think of which probably wasn’t the most appropriate thing.

“Ah yes, shaving, infamous for weakening men. I hear it’s what did Napoleon in at the end,” he’d drawled sarcastically, trying to look anywhere other than the guy who may or may not be his soulmate.

His first thought after that had been _fuck_ and his second had been _shit, I hope that’s not his soulmark_. He couldn’t imagine that being the most romantic mark.

The guy had frozen as well for a second before he snorted out loud and reached out to grab Kevin's sleeve. He can’t remember much more, he’d blanked out with panic, slight excitement, and just general tiredness, just that somehow he’d ended up making out with the guy against a fence and that the guy was a very good kisser. He’d resurfaced at some point during the make out session that was surprisingly long.

“Okay, this time I really have to go,” he found himself saying, but he didn’t move. He stayed there trapped between the guy and the fence. And then he went back to kissing when the guy kissed him again so he clearly didn’t need to go that much although he was operating more on instinct and autopilot at that point.  
“I’m Joaquin, by the way.”

Okay, that was good. It was good to put a name to a face, especially the possible face of your soulmate. 

He took a deep breath, feeling a blush creeping up on his face. He had to keep in contact with the guy, even if he wasn’t his soulmate. There weren’t many queer boys in Riverdale and especially not many who were phenomenal kissers. 

“Give me your phone,” he demanded, probably against his better judgment. Then again, it was probably against his better judgment to make out with a probable gang moment against a fence when his Dad, the sheriff, was around the corner.

His fingers scrambled to put in his details when the guy handed it over, his panicked fingers making more mistakes than anyone competent with technology should. 

“This is my number, use it,” he told Joaquin, not sure why he thought he could order a probable gang member around.

“Kevin Ke-” Joaquin’s face fell as he read the name, definitely suggesting that he’s a probable gang member. “As, as in, as in Sheriff Keller?” Yep, definitely a gang member.

“That a problem?” 

He definitely sounded more confident than he felt, his heart was racing and his mind was flooded with panicked and happy and confused and just every other type of emotional thought.

Joaquin paused for a second before rolling up his sleeve to show his serpent tattoo, “Is this a problem?” he questioned, but Kevin was distracted.

His eyes zoned in the dainty handwriting on Joaquin’s wrist. It was too dark to read the words, but he could make out the shape and the handwriting and it was _his_ handwriting. If he looked close enough, he could see the shape of _Napoleon_ on his wrist.

“I won’t tell if you won’t,” he’d blurted out after realizing he’d been staring at the guy’s wrist for approximately too long. He was rewarded with another amazing kiss from Joaquin so it clearly wasn’t the wrong thing to say.

He can’t exactly remember how they’d parted ways, but somehow he’d gotten back to Veronica and Cheryl, significantly more disheveled and without the popcorn and drink which raised a few eyebrows, but neither of them said anything which he was grateful for.

It was only then when he realized that he and Joaquin had done the exact same thing as Archie and Jughead, and Veronica and Betty.

Fuck, he was one of those.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! :)
> 
>  
> 
> come scream with me on [tumblr](https://island-of-asteria.tumblr.com/)


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